


Comfort Comes in Many Forms

by Persiflage



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: CousyComfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Daisy hates Deke Shaw, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode 5:18, Episode Tag, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Mild Sexual Content, Naked Cuddling, Not FitzSimmons Friendly, POV Skye | Daisy Johnson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-26 20:10:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14409702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Persiflage/pseuds/Persiflage
Summary: Tag fic for 5:18: Post-mission, Coulson and Daisy finally get the chance to talk, and Coulson offers Daisy some much needed comfort.





	Comfort Comes in Many Forms

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hamsterfactor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hamsterfactor/gifts).



> Written for the Cousy Comfort challenge on Tumblr. Daisy FINALLY gets to talk about her trauma to the one person who's always supported her.
> 
> For Hamsterfactor's birthday.

“May told me she loved me,” Coulson says, and something in his face stops Daisy from saying the first thing that comes into her head.

“She did?” Daisy asks carefully, feeling as if swallowing has suddenly become the hardest thing in the world. He nods, looking awkward, and even a bit shifty. “What did you say?”

He shakes his head. “Nothing. I didn’t know what to say. And when I tried to bring it up earlier, before you and the others went after Ruby, she cut me off.”

“What would you have said, if she hadn’t cut you off. No, wait, that’s none –”

“I would’ve told her that I love her too, but not in a romantic way.”

“Oh.” She manages to swallow, glances once at his face, then looks away. “Deke left me a lemon in my bunk,” she says. Then asks tetchily, “Why the hell is – was – will a _lemon_ be considered romantic, of all things?”

He chuckles softly. “I have no idea – I didn’t like to ask.” Then he looks at her intently, before asking curiously, “What did you do with it?”

“Threw it at his head,” she says, and can’t help smiling when he smirks. “And told him in no uncertain terms that I was _never_ going to be interested in dating a guy who sold me into slavery with Kasius.”

“I’m guessing he didn’t like that answer?”

“I really don’t care,” she says carelessly. “What _is it_ with me and shitty white assholes?” She asks this a bit despairingly, then notices how closed off Coulson’s face has gone, and she grabs his arm. “You’re not a shitty white asshole, Phil.” She gives his arm a little shake for emphasis. “You’re the one person who’s always stood by me, always encouraged me to reach my full potential. You’ve always believed in me and trusted that I’d do the right thing, even if meant going behind your back to get information to rescue Ward and Fitz.” 

She’s not sure what her face is doing, but Coulson’s is definitely doing a Thing. And she says, “God, if only I hadn’t.” Then she surprises them both by bursting into tears, and immediately Coulson wraps his arms around her as they sit side by side in his bunk. He lets her sob all over his shoulder, rubbing a hand up and down her arm as he repeatedly murmurs her name into her hair.

When she pulls back, some indefinite time later, he holds her shoulder with his left hand and uses his thumb on his free hand to rub a last tear from her cheek, and she reaches up with her right hand to cup his cheek, then leans in and kisses him.

“Daisy.” He breathes her name against her mouth, his tone longing, and she sighs his name back, and then he’s kissing her.

She feels as if she might melt against his body, and she definitely wants to wrap her body around his, so she feels a little disappointed, but somehow unsurprised, when he pulls away.

“I can’t believe I forgot,” he says, sounding distracted, and she gives him a confused look. He shakes his head. “I can’t do this with you, Daisy.” His tone is gentle and apologetic, but she nevertheless feels as if he’s slapped her across the face.

“Sorry,” she says, immediately contrite.

He reaches up and puts his hand over his heart, and she frowns at him until he swiftly unbuttons his shirt far enough to show her the black lines spreading across his chest, his veins looking as if they’re filled with ink. “I can’t start a relationship with you, Daisy, not when I’m literally dying.”

“You’re not going to die, Phil.” She uses her don’t-argue-with-me tone of voice, and sees him swallow, his eyes looking wet.

“Daisy,” he whispers.

She rolls her eyes, then grabs his shoulders and kisses him as emphatically as she can. Then she pulls back and asks, “Okay?”

“Yes,” he says firmly.

She nods, then pushes his shoulder to get him to lie down, before she wraps her body around his, kissing him again as her thigh presses between his legs. He makes an encouraging sort of noise, his hand sliding up under her shirt to stroke down her back until it’s cupping her ass. She rocks against him, and he groans quietly, which makes her smirk: he’s thickening nicely beneath his pants. She draws her mouth from his in order to graze his chin with her teeth, then she drags her mouth along his jaw, relishing the tickle of his scruff. He gasps in shock when her teeth meet his earlobe, and she has a moment of wondering if she’s being too aggressive, but then both his hands are on her ass and he’s definitely pressing her body more firmly against his. 

DJ-PC-DJ-PC-DJ

Some time later, after some pretty amazing sex and a shared shower, they lie cuddled up together on Coulson’s bed, and he encourages her to talk about what Fitz did to her, and also her experiences with Kasius, and within the Framework, and she talks about her horror at finding Ward’s avatar there, and that AIDA had paired her with him. 

“She was a sick, sick murderbot,” Daisy tells him, and he gives her a brief smile at the wording.

“Yes,” he agrees. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. And that you were shot by mine and Mack’s LMDs.” He briefly caresses both bullet wounds, one after the other, and she kisses him, moved by the unbearable tenderness in his face and words.

“I love you,” she whispers, half terrified, half elated at actually saying the words.

“I love you too,” he says, less softly, but looking pretty besotted, she thinks. She likes besotted on him, though – it’s a good look.

They talk some more, and Daisy can feel herself beginning to unwind properly for the first time in – well, forever, it feels like, but certainly a very long time.

“Do you want something to eat?” he asks after a bit, and almost obligingly, her stomach growls, which makes her blush and Coulson chuckle. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He kisses her, and she kisses him back, then tells him that she wants to go and check in on Polly and Robin.

“And yes, I’ll check how Glen’s doing as well.”

“I didn’t mean to land you with him,” he says, sounding contrite. 

“Phil, I’m not going to tell you that you shouldn’t have rescued him – he’d done nothing to deserve remaining in Hale’s clutches. I’m only sorry we couldn’t rescue Carl Creel as well. And just so you know, I still hate HYDRA,” she tells him emphatically, and he chuckles, looking up at her as she stands beside the bed, and she realises she’s naked and angry.

“You’re kinda hot when you’re mad about fascists,” he tells her, and cups himself suggestively.

“Oh you,” she says, knowing he’s mostly teasing, but grateful for him trying to lighten her mood. “I’ll deal with you later, mister.” She thinks she must’ve sounded as seductive as she was aiming for because he gets a big dopey grin on his face, his hand still on his half-hard cock. She grabs his shirt off the floor, where it was discarded earlier, and throws it at him, and it obliges her by landing over his face, which makes him laugh before he climbs off his bed. He drops the shirt onto the bed in order to clasp her shoulders and look deep into her eyes, doing that patented Phil stare.

“I love you,” he says, then kisses her softly.

She opens her mouth to respond, but her stomach gurgles again, and they wind up clinging to each other, laughing helplessly. “I’m so sophisticated,” she complains.

“I don’t need you to be sophisticated, Daisy. I love you just the way you are.” He hugs her. “I fell in love with you when you were wearing a plaid flannel button-down and jeans.”

“And I fell in love with you when you wore a pale grey suit,” she tells him, and he smirks a bit, which makes her shove his shoulder, but not too hard. He chuckles, then they set about locating their clothes and getting dressed before parting company: Coulson for the kitchen, and Daisy to see Polly and Robin Hinton, and Glen Talbot.

She’s feeling a lot more solid than she did before, well, since Coulson carried her back through the portal, to tell the truth, and she really appreciates the fact that he’s the one who’s helped her to feel that way. He’s always had her back, ever since she joined his team, and she’s always appreciated that support from him.

“I’ll see you later,” she tells him, giving him a quick peck on the lips, and she wonders what it would be like to do this every morning. Then she decides not to think about it just now – she has to figure out a way to save his life, first – she’s not letting him die, not now they’re finally together. She has no illusions that they’ll manage to have a long life together, but she wants a life with Phil Coulson for however long they can survive.

She lets herself out of his bunk and heads through the hallways to see the Hintons first, considering the matter of Coulson’s survival thoughtfully. It annoys her that she can’t consult Simmons about this – but she’s currently having as little as possible to do with her or her husband since she can’t trust herself to be polite to them. She’s forgiven Elena for her part in helping Simmons free Fitz because she’s sure Elena was and still is suffering from trauma after Ruby cut off her arms. However, she cannot forgive Simmons, particularly given that she not only disobeyed her orders, and took Elena into the field knowing she was medically unfit, but because she also traumatised Mack in the process of setting Fitz free of the pod where he’d been locked up after he operated on her without her consent. It annoys her that their numbers are so few, and are further reduced by the knowledge that she cannot actually trust two of their agents – they need all the people they can get if they’re going to go up against Hale and the remains of HYDRA, but she refuses to take people she cannot trust into this fight. 

She sighs, then resolves to put all such thoughts aside while she talks to Polly and Robin: she doesn’t want to stress them out as they’ve been through enough already. She takes a deep breath, then knocks on their door.

_Think happy thoughts_ she tells herself, and the thought of Phil, making food for her, brings a smile to her face just as Polly opens the door, and the other woman’s wary look dissolves into a smile at the sight of Daisy.

_I can do this_ she thinks, and steps into the room feeling more confident than she had a few moments ago.


End file.
